Blogs

Our blogs provide fresh, impassioned and authoritative commentary and insight about the variety of civil-liberties issues that the ACLU of Michigan takes up each day in our courts, governments and communities.

Get Involved

With the help of dedicated volunteers and community activists, the ACLU of Michigan works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the individual rights and liberties that are guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Get Help

The ACLU of Michigan is one of more than 50 affiliates in the United States. As such, we encourage you to know as much as possible about your civil liberties. Further, if you feel those liberties have been violated, we suggest you submit a complaint. We only accept complaints that occur within the State of Michigan. If your complaint arose in a state other than Michigan, you must contact the ACLU office in that state.

About Us

Since our founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union has led the fight to conserve our most precious liberties. Through the passion of our supporters, we have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 active members and supporters with 54 state affiliate offices as well as a legislative office in Washington, DC.

Student Rights

Constitutional violations are far too common in public schools across the country. Teachers and administrators have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for the students that is conducive to learning. They also have a responsibility to respect each student's individual rights. These two missions are not incompatible. Simply put, students have rights too.

ACLU, NAACP and Other Groups Offer Expertise to Assist Schools in Moving from “Zero Tolerance” Policies to “Rethink Discipline”

2017-08-15 00:00:00

In the wake of recent laws dramatically reworking Michigan’s previously harsh “zero tolerance” student discipline policies, a group of eight organizations is reaching out to state schools to assist them in implementing new practices.

Court Blocks State from Using Public Funds for Private Schools

2017-07-27 00:00:00

Update (8/15/17): A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals has denied the State of Michigan’s request to appeal an injunction by the Michigan Court of Claims barring the state from using taxpayer dollars for private schools in direct contravention of the Michigan Constitution.

The Fight for Flint Schools

2017-05-17 00:00:00

Given everything that Flint has been through in recent years, the last thing we want to do is beat up on the city’s challenged school district. While some critics may suggest otherwise, the legal action we took last fall aimed at improving conditions in the schools is simply designed to ensure that every child who walks into a classroom, including those who need special-education services, receives the support necessary to thrive.

In Defense of Public Education

2017-03-27 00:00:00

Michigan public education is being eroded – through the advancement of for-profit charter schools, by way of threats of school closures, and now with the diversion of public school funding to private schools.

Public Education Leaders, Parent Groups to Sue State and Gov. Snyder to Protect Public Schools

2017-03-21 00:00:00

LANSING – The ACLU of Michigan, public education leaders and parent groups from across Michigan will today file a lawsuit to prevent the state and Gov. Rick Snyder from funding private schools with public money. The lawsuit, in which the ACLU of Michigan is representing parent groups 482Forward and Michigan Parents for Schools, stems from a $2.5 million line item in the state budget that reimburses private institutions for state mandates.

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Taxpayer Money Appropriated for Private Schools

2016-08-26 00:00:00

For nearly fifty years, Michigan’s Constitution has strictly prohibited taxpayer funding of private and religious schools. However, in 2016 the legislature appropriated $2.5 million to “reimburse” private and parochial schools for complying with mandates that all schools in Michigan must abide by. The ACLU of Michigan opposed the legislation, and although Governor Snyder recognized that it was constitutionally suspect, he refused to exercise his veto power. Instead, he signed the appropriation into law and simultaneously asked the Michigan Supreme Court to issue an “advisory opinion” on

Seven-Year-Old Handcuffed at School

2016-03-04 00:00:00

In October 2015 a “school resource officer” working in Flint handcuffed a seven-year-old student with ADHD when the student did not immediately respond to the officer’s instruction. The student was not a threat to himself or others and was handcuffed for nearly an hour solely on account of his disability-related behavior. In March 2016 the ACLU wrote a letter on behalf of the family seeking wholesale policy changes to ensure that no more children are handcuffed at school. We are continuing to work with Flint in an attempt to resolve the matter.